Locking device for hand-levers.



` hereinafter UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

UGUST HEINRICH MARHENKE, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

LOCKING DEvIcE' son l imNn-LEVEEs.

ough o f the Bronx, in'the' .co'unty of the Bro'nx and State of New York, have invented a new and I-mproved Locking Device for Hand-Levers,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide'an attachment for Ahand levers with improved locking deviceswhereby the hand lever, when employed for the control of automobiles or the like, may be left locked in a position or condition to baille' an attempt by any unauthorized person to move or disturb the machine.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafterjbe more fully ldescribed and 'claimed andillustrated by the drawings forming a partof-thisl specification in which like characters off reference indicate corresponding parts in all the vieivs, and in which- Figure l is a vertical view partly in elevation and Vpartly in section, showing a preferred embodiment'of the invention, the full lines indicating the normal position of the parts with the brake set but with the hand lever unlocked, and the dotted lines showing the hand lever disconnected from-the brake connectionsand locked in inoperative condition; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on theline 2 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse detail on the `line 3 2 of Fig. l; and Fig. lis a detail vien' indicating the Yconnecting and disconnecting means between the twin Amain lever parts.

The' several` parts of this device may' he vmade ofiany suitable materials, and the relative sizes and proportions, as ivell as the general design of the machinism` ma)1 be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of the invention more full)l described and claimed.

Referring more particularly to the dra \vings, I show a lever 10 pivoted on a horizontal axis 11. first class and having an arm l2 projecting ldownwardly and adapted i'or connection with brake mechanism or 'the lilov (not shown).. The pivot ll and the main porA tion of the 'lever l0 are housed within a Specification of Letters Patent.

This lever is shown as of, the' Patented Nov. o, 1915.

Application ined .my i, i914. serial No. 843,374.

I casing 13 shown as iliade preferably in twoA parts and having a slot l2 in its bottom through which the arm 12 extends. The casing is provided at its 'top with another slot 13 formed iu thecylindrieal surface having its axis coincident'with the axis of the pivot 11.

At ll I show a hand lever having loose pivotal connection at lwv'ith the pivot l1. Any suitable means may be provided to detachably connect the hand lever 14 to the lever 10, making them in effect alsingle lever whereby the operator in the manipulation of the hand lever maycontrol the brake mechanism or any other device which may be connected to the arm l2. 'lhe handlever 14 projects through the slot llf and a guard 1G is fitted to the inni-r sui-'fare of the cylindrical top portion of the casing 13 and'is manipulated by the hand ,lever,f being of such a length that the slot 13lv is'maintiined effectively closed by the guard-lining all movements of the hand lever, and lwhereby access to the` interior of thecasl'ng is prevented under m'dinar)I conditions.-

.\s shou'n in" full lilies in Figfl', the'lever and hand lever are normally in close fitting relation to each other and are'thercloched b v and projecting lateralliv from a plunger l5 carried hv the handilevi-r. The hook l? extends into a. soi-.het 1f) formedzin the-face of the lever l() adjaciutthehand lever and the hook` and while in the socket is adapted to engage \vilh a ratrh or shoulder 20. `rlhe plunger is adapted to reciprocate longitudinallir along the hand lever and under normal eondilions is operated upon bv a' com;v

p.^|rati\'el v still' spl'ing 2l. vvherrls'v thiliooh li is maintained iu -ligagclnrnt with the catch 2U.

l'ndcl' thus(` conditionsv` the leverA and lmful lever are locked together and art by the lever. y The pawl may be acted upon by a spring 26,v thenormal tendency of which is to lift and hold the pawl out of engagement with the teeth ofthe segment. The plunger 1 8, however, is provided with a laterally projecting lug 27 which, when the plunger is depressed, causes the pawl to be forced downwardly into position to engage the teeth. y

` When the operator wish s to set the brake or manipulate any other machine part which may be connected .to the arm 12, he will grasp the hand 'lever and draw it in the direction of arrow on Fig. 1.` No action,l

however, of the'pawl will take place unless the operator wishes to maintain the brake set and remove his hand from the, handle 14 of the lever. If he desires to maintain the brake set, he will depress theplunger 18 by applying his thumb to the upper end i8u thereof which will cause the lug 27 to force the pawl 23 downwardly into engaging posi tion with the segment 22. The plunger i8 may return to the normal position shown in Fig. 1, but the strain upon the lever- 1U and pawl 23 incident rto the yactionA of the brake will maintain the pawl in engagement with the segment tooth. In order to release the pawl, therefore, for starting ther machine, the operator has but to grasp the hand lever and exert a slight pressure upon it in the direction of the arrow so as to relieve the friction between the' point of the pawl and the segment teethl The spring 26 will then throw the pawl out of the path of the teeth, leaving the lever mechanis'mvfree for any desiredA manipulation.

The plunger 18 is provided at any corr venient place, preferably adjacent the handle 14, with a notch or opening i8 which, when` the plunger is in locking pesition, is adapted to register with asocket having its'axis substantially at right angles to the axis of the plunger. A locking belt 29 is seated in said socket 28. A. spring 3? Seated in the outer end of the socket 28 acts normally upon-the bolt 29 and tends to force the end ofA the bolt into the notch or hole 18', as shown( in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The

tendency of the bolt 29 to enter the hole 1S" is normally resisted by a detent 31 arranged at right angles to the bolt 29 and seated nor-v mally in a notch 29 formed in one face thereof. The detent 31 is maintained in its normal position by means s f i. ut is movable out of normal p( tun ...c the force of the spring 32 by means or" a heed 33 projecting beyond/tbe hand lever in pesition to be engaged by the opcrato1s thumb or linger. The 'bolt 29 has a shank it er tending laterally or downwardly therefrom through which a key controlled screw ex tends. The threads of the Screw 35 are preferably of degree pitch whereby either of the parts is adapted to operate the other. The screw, therefore, being normally free to rotate, will not resist the automatic move nientof the bolt 29 under the force of its spring 30 when the detent 31 is pushed by the operators thumb or linger. If, there- Ytore, the operator desires toy be absent from his machine `and Wishes to maintain the brake set, he will not only depress the plunger into position to set the pawl, but will also actuate the detent 31. The detent may be pushed either before or afterv the plunger is depressed. if pushed before, the bolt 29 will move a short distance until it strikes the plunger, such vmovement being far enough'for the detent to be received against rthe side of the bolt and held from returning into' the notch 29.` If, then, the plunger be depressed subsequently, the spring 30 will i'orce the bolt directly into the hole 18. .ln this position of the plunger the lug 2? will be in position to prevent the pawl 23 from. moving ont engagement with the tooth H inst which it has been set, and at the 'me the hook i7 wiil be detached from the catch 2 .i stranger, therefore, upon graspino hand lever-. will ind it set free trom the lever l0 and brake mechanism and he will be helpless to release the brake or manipulate the machine. r he operator, however, or any authorized person having a key may insert it into the barrel 36, and upon turning the same will cause the screw 31j to withdraw the bolt out .of locking posi tion and cause the detent to snap into the notch 29' and lthel'iolt will be so held until the detent is again actuated.`

The principal. reason for providing a pawl which is adapted to Slide for ordinary purposes rather than pivoting it on e. fixed pivot to permit the pawl tilt around the lug a pivot Ahoud it be desirable o1' neces sary to :apply the band levii is ieose and locked. In this operation the point of the pawl may ride idly the h of the segment 22 While the opposite .ion of the pawl may slide irre-ijf' tovv'aiv nent against the tension-or the spring-f i ng ti'iereon.

l-Iavingl il;l s: describ d my invention, I claim as new and desre tn secure by Let-ters Patent The herein .'ibcd locking device for a vcabie rioni; the hand lever md having a 'noie-h, a in'ilt movable iougitudinally of cud of the beit tending to force it inte gage-nient with the plunger whereby when ee to the main lever when Y hai a lock easing, a plunger` the detcnt is released th@l bolt will Snap into ln tcstimony whereof l hnvv 'signed my the plungvr notch. smid bolt having.: :1 shank name to this specification in the presumo of extending' from mw side thcivof` 21ml :l key two subscribing witnesses. vmitrolled .s1-,ww acting through smid shank AUGUST HEINRICH'MARHENHH. to withdraw itv into idle position where it Witnesses:

will he hohl by said dclcut. .substantially as (im. L. BEELER,

set, foi-th. PHILIP D. lloLL1'{\Us 

